My Photographic heroes presentation
For my photographic heroes, I decided to choose Mario Testino, Rui Faria and Solve Sundsbo. My presentation had a clear theme which was evident throughout and that was Fashion Photography. Although each photographer at first seem very similar to each other, their work and techniques which they use to accomplish their work is very different and I wanted to explore the ways in which they created their images and their intentions for each image.
The first photographer I looked at was Mario Testino who is a Peruvian Fashion and Portrait Photographer. He was born in Lima, Peru 1954 and moved to London in 1976 to study photography after abandoning his studies of Law and Economics. When he moved to London, he was living in an abandoned partment without much money but funded himself by working as a waiter. He said that "London was a city that allowed me to flourish expressively without the restrictions I felt were imposed on me in Peru". He also states that he found his inspiration the work of British Fashion photographer Cecil Beaton. Testino has been photographing for forty years and is now one of the most influential fashion and portrait photographers. His work has been featured all over the world in magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair and Vanity Fair. One of his most successful exhibitions was in 2002 at the National Portrait Gallery in London where his series "Portraits" was exhibited. It had the highest attendance of any exhibition featured at this gallery. The success of his series "Portraits", later went on a four year tour to Amsterdam, Milan, Tokyo, Mexico and Edinburgh. Testino emphasises the idea that he likes to take portraits of people as he likes to step into people's lives and learn more about them. When Anna Wintour was talking about Testino in an interview, she said, "I think he really understands our sensibility. He has a style but is not trying to impose. And it is not just the look of fashion and the aesthetic, he also has a business brain". When asked what type of camera Testino uses, he says that "it is not the type of camera that matters most, what really counts is the idea that comes before the photograph is taken. It is knowing where you are going, rather than what is taking you there. It's about your outlook on things, more than the technical device you use." What I really like how his photography as a whole is that they are so open and they have a boundless energy about them and I feel like the viewer can create their own story or perspective about what Testino is trying to capture. Additionally, whilst I was researching about his work, I visited his website and there was a section called 'Personal Projects' which I thoroughly enjoyed looking through as there were a few projects that were completely opposite to fashion photography. For example, one of his projects was called 'On Location' where he would photograph places he travelled to. Testino constantly travels around the world and I think creating these personal projects is a way in which he can experiment more with photography and not just focus on the fashion element.
The next photographer I looked at was Rui Faria and it was slightly more difficult to find a lot of information about him as he is not very well-known however he has been very successful. He is a beauty and fashion photographer, originally from Portugal but is based in London now. He went to the Museum School of Fine Arts in Boston as well as the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. He is now the founder of the British fashion magazine 'Volt'. His clients include Vogue Italia, Chanel, Vogue Brazil, Harrods and many more.
Lastly, I focused on Solve Sundsbo who is a Norwegian fashion photographer and film-maker. He moved to London in 1995 to pursue a short course of photography at the London college of printing. When Sundsbo started his career, he found it difficult to get hired as people would say to him, "I'm not sure I can hire you, I'm not sure what you're doing. What is your style?". He was "mortified" and thought he would "never make a living as a photographer". However, he had realised that curiosity had gotten the better of him and he could not stop experimenting with hi-tech manipulation and other types of techniques. In an interview with the Independent newspaper, he says "If I've got a style, it's that I've got no style." He has shot for publications such as Vogue Italia and W Magazine, and he has also directed short films for Nike and Chanel. His main theme in this images is making them look out of the ordinary. He achieves this by manipulating his images using experimental techniques including X-rays, 3D printing and smoke effects. He says that he is "all for experimentation" and his image manipulation gives fashion photography "a complete fresh look". Furthermore, he feels like science, books and music have really inspired his creations as all these things stimulate him. He also describes himself as being "incredibly curious to the point of being annoying." He believes that curiosity informs his work because he always wants to explore and experiment with new techniques. Photographers that have inspired him include Irving Penn, Richard Avedon and Nick Knight. He is particularly inspired by Knight as he is a very important person to Sundsbo as he worked for him and when Sundsbo was first starting to look at fashion photography, Knight was leading the way in changing fashion photography. Shot in 2008, his series: 'Points a la ligne' which is French for 'Points to the line', is one of my favourite series by Sundsbo. To achieve these images, he positioned the models in a pitch black setting and various patterned shadows of stripes and circles where then cast on their body to create a highly stylised and surreal look.
The first photographer I looked at was Mario Testino who is a Peruvian Fashion and Portrait Photographer. He was born in Lima, Peru 1954 and moved to London in 1976 to study photography after abandoning his studies of Law and Economics. When he moved to London, he was living in an abandoned partment without much money but funded himself by working as a waiter. He said that "London was a city that allowed me to flourish expressively without the restrictions I felt were imposed on me in Peru". He also states that he found his inspiration the work of British Fashion photographer Cecil Beaton. Testino has been photographing for forty years and is now one of the most influential fashion and portrait photographers. His work has been featured all over the world in magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair and Vanity Fair. One of his most successful exhibitions was in 2002 at the National Portrait Gallery in London where his series "Portraits" was exhibited. It had the highest attendance of any exhibition featured at this gallery. The success of his series "Portraits", later went on a four year tour to Amsterdam, Milan, Tokyo, Mexico and Edinburgh. Testino emphasises the idea that he likes to take portraits of people as he likes to step into people's lives and learn more about them. When Anna Wintour was talking about Testino in an interview, she said, "I think he really understands our sensibility. He has a style but is not trying to impose. And it is not just the look of fashion and the aesthetic, he also has a business brain". When asked what type of camera Testino uses, he says that "it is not the type of camera that matters most, what really counts is the idea that comes before the photograph is taken. It is knowing where you are going, rather than what is taking you there. It's about your outlook on things, more than the technical device you use." What I really like how his photography as a whole is that they are so open and they have a boundless energy about them and I feel like the viewer can create their own story or perspective about what Testino is trying to capture. Additionally, whilst I was researching about his work, I visited his website and there was a section called 'Personal Projects' which I thoroughly enjoyed looking through as there were a few projects that were completely opposite to fashion photography. For example, one of his projects was called 'On Location' where he would photograph places he travelled to. Testino constantly travels around the world and I think creating these personal projects is a way in which he can experiment more with photography and not just focus on the fashion element.
The next photographer I looked at was Rui Faria and it was slightly more difficult to find a lot of information about him as he is not very well-known however he has been very successful. He is a beauty and fashion photographer, originally from Portugal but is based in London now. He went to the Museum School of Fine Arts in Boston as well as the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. He is now the founder of the British fashion magazine 'Volt'. His clients include Vogue Italia, Chanel, Vogue Brazil, Harrods and many more.
Lastly, I focused on Solve Sundsbo who is a Norwegian fashion photographer and film-maker. He moved to London in 1995 to pursue a short course of photography at the London college of printing. When Sundsbo started his career, he found it difficult to get hired as people would say to him, "I'm not sure I can hire you, I'm not sure what you're doing. What is your style?". He was "mortified" and thought he would "never make a living as a photographer". However, he had realised that curiosity had gotten the better of him and he could not stop experimenting with hi-tech manipulation and other types of techniques. In an interview with the Independent newspaper, he says "If I've got a style, it's that I've got no style." He has shot for publications such as Vogue Italia and W Magazine, and he has also directed short films for Nike and Chanel. His main theme in this images is making them look out of the ordinary. He achieves this by manipulating his images using experimental techniques including X-rays, 3D printing and smoke effects. He says that he is "all for experimentation" and his image manipulation gives fashion photography "a complete fresh look". Furthermore, he feels like science, books and music have really inspired his creations as all these things stimulate him. He also describes himself as being "incredibly curious to the point of being annoying." He believes that curiosity informs his work because he always wants to explore and experiment with new techniques. Photographers that have inspired him include Irving Penn, Richard Avedon and Nick Knight. He is particularly inspired by Knight as he is a very important person to Sundsbo as he worked for him and when Sundsbo was first starting to look at fashion photography, Knight was leading the way in changing fashion photography. Shot in 2008, his series: 'Points a la ligne' which is French for 'Points to the line', is one of my favourite series by Sundsbo. To achieve these images, he positioned the models in a pitch black setting and various patterned shadows of stripes and circles where then cast on their body to create a highly stylised and surreal look.
Leaflet
For my next development of the curatorship, I need to start exploring different topics and subheadings related to fashion photography which will form each room. As I am looking at 'The most iconic Fashion Photographers', this gives me a broad range of themes and ideas I can explore. My initial idea, is to have one room focusing on black and white fashion photography. For the next room, I am thinking of having very bold, coloured photography. I am still not sure what I want the third room to include. I am going to research and explore photographers that have influenced fashion photography significantly. I think in my curatorship, I will be including contemporary, modern fashion photographers but also some of the earliest fashion photographers which shaped fashion photography, making them very influential and iconic. Below, I have included some photographers which I researched about whose work left a significant mark in the fashion photography industry. I have categorised them into different eras showing how advanced and developed fashion photography has become.
Room 1: Early 1900s Fashion Photography
Louise Dahl-Wolfe
Louise Dahl-Wolfe, born in Alameda, California, studied at the San Francisco Institute of Art. She originally was working as a sign painter in 1921, when she discovered the photographs of Anne Brigman. She was greatly influenced and impressed by Brigman's work but it was not until the early 1930s that she started photographing. From 1927-1928 she travelled to Europe with photographer Consuelo Kanaga which really interested and inspired Dahl-Wolfe to start photography again and exploring her interest in photography. Her work has been very influential in the fashion photography industry and iconic photographers like Irving Penn and Richard Avedon were inspired by her work. Her work had also helped define the image of the modern, independent woman. |
George Hoyningen-Huene
Best known for his elegant black-and-white photographs, George Hoyningen-Huene was an American-Russian fashion photographer. He was born on the 4th September, 1900 and died on the 12th September, 1968. He is now remembered as one of the finest fashion photographers of the 1920s and 1930s. During the Russian Revolution, he had to flee with his family to London where they later settled in Paris after World War I. As a photographer for French Vogue, he was becoming more well-known and he was becoming more successful. Whilst he was working for French Vogue, he met German photographer Horst P. Horst. He moved to New York 10 years later where he signed a contract with Harper's Bazaar. He then worked in the film industry in Los Angeles as a colour consultant and celebrity portraitist. His work's common motifs were of Greek columns, temples and statuary. This imagery really gave his work elegance and grace.
"These photographs would never please the architects, who want blueprints, but I wanted to interpret ancient buildings and ancient sites, and glamorise them, just as I had done with beautiful women" - Hoyningen-Huene talking about his 'Eye for Elegance' book. |
Horst P. Horst
Horst P. Horst has been one of the most significant and influential fashion and portrait photographer of the twentieth century and was a master of light and composition. He was born the 14th August 1906 in Germany. He had a very unique aesthetic and still does. He studied architecture in Paris in 1930. During his time in Paris, Horst became close with Vogue photographer George Hoyningen-Huene. Horst became his photographic assistant and his interest in architecture soon changed to photography. He then started working for Vogue magazine in 1931, and moved to New York in 1937 where he met with Coco Chanel. He not only raised the standards of fashion photography, but he helped to define it. His study of Greek sculpture influenced his compositions significantly. Horst's real breakthrough as a fashion and portrait photographer was in the pages of British Vogue, starting with the 30th March 1932 issue showing three fashion studies and a full-page portrait. Horst died on the 18th November 1999. |
Room 2: Late 1900s fashion photography
Peter Lindbergh
Richard Avedon
Room 3: Contemporary fashion photography
Solve Sundsbo
Solve Sundsbo who is a Norwegian fashion photographer and film-maker. He moved to London in 1995 to pursue a short course of photography at the London college of printing. When Sundsbo started his career, he found it difficult to get hired as people would say to him, "I'm not sure I can hire you, I'm not sure what you're doing. What is your style?". He was "mortified" and thought he would "never make a living as a photographer". However, he had realised that curiosity had gotten the better of him and he could not stop experimenting with hi-tech manipulation and other types of techniques. In an interview with the Independent newspaper, he says "If I've got a style, it's that I've got no style." He has shot for publications such as Vogue Italia and W Magazine, and he has also directed short films for Nike and Chanel. His main theme in this images is making them look out of the ordinary. He achieves this by manipulating his images using experimental techniques including X-rays, 3D printing and smoke effects. He says that he is "all for experimentation" and his image manipulation gives fashion photography "a complete fresh look". Furthermore, he feels like science, books and music have really inspired his creations as all these things stimulate him. He also describes himself as being "incredibly curious to the point of being annoying." He believes that curiosity informs his work because he always wants to explore and experiment with new techniques. Photographers that have inspired him include Irving Penn, Richard Avedon and Nick Knight. He is particularly inspired by Knight as he is a very important person to Sundsbo as he worked for him and when Sundsbo was first starting to look at fashion photography, Knight was leading the way in changing fashion photography.
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Mario Testino